HOMOEOLOGOUS CHROMOSOME PAIRING AND RESTRICTED SEGREGATION IN THE FERN CERATOPTERIS

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Abstract
The segregation of a marker characterized by pale green gametophytes was monitored within an inbreeding study of the polyploid fern Ceratopteris. Although all of the sporophytes showing segregation were derived from the self‐fertilization of haploid gametophytes, a low overall frequency of 2.5% pale gametophytes was observed in the F3–F5 generations. A model based upon a duplicated locus and homoeologous chromosome pairing can explain the segregational behavior within the study. The overall level of homoeologous pairing was determined to be 10%. Occasionally, green gametophytes that were presumably heterozygous for the marker contained pale sectors. This behavior may involve mitotic crossing‐over between homoeologous chromosomes.
Funding Information
  • National Science Foundation (DEB76–09756)